Sometimes a question is responded to with a good, correct answer, and nothing else need be added.  
If you ask "Why does my glass fall to the ground when I release it?", and the response is "Gravity", anything additional will be a joke, or a smartassed remark.

Sometimes, the AR15.com answer machine comes up with a blank.  Maybe no one reading the particular question, at the time it was easily visible had the correct answer.  Maybe some people had an answer they were unsure of, and were hesitant to post.

Not for nothing, and no offense, but I notice you are complaining about lack of response to your posts.  One of the best ways to get a good rep here is to [i]provide[/i] good advice and help.  Again, no offense, but ask yourself "Have I been genuinely helpful to fellow members so that they will be more inclined to help me when I need it?"

It's a two-way street.  You LEOs should know all about those, of course. [:D]

For what it is worth, and if you bother to come back and read this, I believe I was one of the 100 reads on the post you mentioned (or at least I read one similar to it).  I didn't have an answer so I did not post.

I don't pay any attention to post counts for the most part - other than to say welcome when I notice a newbie or if the poster looks like a troll.  I am relatively new here myself and am far from knowing all there is to know about the AR15 - but if I notice there is no response to a question I will try to post a question for clarity or simply to bring the post back to top so a more knowlegable member will see it.  On my own posts with no answers I will do the same thing so it doesn't get so far back on the list that no one sees it.

I have not noticed any difference in people's reaction to my posts since paying for my membership, nor did I expect it.  I paid simply to help keep the site running because I have learned more here than anywhere else.  Try bringing your post back to the top and see if you get any help.

[i]Rolex?[/i] Good grief, man!  You simply [i]must[/i] obtain a [i]proper[/i] wrist-chronometer, such as a Patek Philippe.  
Good Gawd, man!

[:D]

I can understand your frustration.  As you might guess by my name (and my picture), I'm a girl.  (I say that because, at least on this board, there are only girls, and women, it seems.  Women wear wedding bands, girls don't).

My own experience with my first few posts was somewhat similar.  Despite this, I hung in there because of the one or two nuggets I got out of the board over time- despite a lot of the frustration.  As time went by it became obvious that- like any online forum- getting responses is a little art, a little science.  More on this in a second.



I tend to think more women shooters would be interested here if it weren't for the highly sexist attitude displayed by at least a very vocal minority if not majority of the members.  I also think that members here underestimate what kind of an impact that might have on culture.  (Imagine if Sarah Brady, or Diane Feinstein had extremely positive and welcoming experiences on a firearms forum like this in their younger years.  Women usually shy away from firearms or give guys noise about guns because they are intimidated, frightened, uninterested or acclimated to dislike firearms.  Exposure to them helps quite a bit.  I can't tell you how many girlfriends of mine hated guns before I hauled them out shooting).

Point being: Cop, woman, civilian, military, alien- everyone can find something in here if they are willing to have a thick skin at first.  Trust me.  BELIEVE me I know.  (You should see some of the emails and IMs I occasionally get from AR15.com members- boys will be boys...)



Well that would be a pity.  Your voice, like almost all voices on here, is important.  Personally I think it's an excellent forum for us to have a line of communication between civilian and police, civilian and military, civilian and civil service and share experiences and notes on our common love: the AR weapons platform.  (And more!)

With patience and craft I have learned more about the AR here than in my many years of gun experience before finding this place.  Keep in mind that this is saying something since I grew up around Special Forces types for years, did military service, have shot in 10-15 national shooting events and I have only been here a number of months.

With all that, some suggestions for getting post responses:

1. Post around 2-3pm PST on the right days.
The Afterwork crowd and the "at work" crowd seems to be the most responsive and willing to help.  The early morning and before-work crowd, the least.  Mondays seem to get a lot of attention (bored people at work probably) and Sunday's not so much (people busy shooting, taking wife to store, taking boyfriend shooting, taking wife to shooting store, shooting store full of holes, shooting boyfriend full of holes, etc.)

2.  Use a creative (but on topic) title.
"Hey, what do you think of this" or "Problem, any help" or "question" don't provoke many responses because they don't get read much.  More specific titles (particularly if they have "hot pics inside" in them or a little comedy) tend to get more peeks.  Try "The Great Bolt Carrier Mystery- Am I totally screwed?" or "My wife says 'fix that AR or I'll leave you'" instead.

2a.  Post to the right forum.  All the experts on your issue probably browse that forum.  I tend to hang around ammunition, tactics & training, optics, woman shooters and the two general discussion forums.  Others will have different patterns.  No one hangs around Politics and Activism or History ;)

3.  Outline the situation, the nature of your equipment, all the detailed and informed steps you've taken, very carefully - OR - admit that you have no clue where even to begin.  Newbies and experts who have tried everything tend to be the people who get more responses.  In between those, young wippersnappers who know just enough to get themselves in trouble rarely get much of a response.

4.  Don't worry that you are a cop, a woman, a firefighter, bisexual, a lesbian trapped in a man's body, or a cocker spaniel.  Somewhere out there there's another cop, woman, firefighter, bisexual, lesbian trapped in a man's body, or a cocker spaniel who also can't figure out why PMC ammo prints consistantly 5 inches higher at 100 yards than Wolf in their 24" Bushmaster V-Match with Compact ACOG.

5.  It is a well known internet mystery that the best posts often get the least number of responses.  If you hit the nail right on the head a lot of people will think they have nothing to contribute.  More importantly, if you come off too self-important many people will not bother to reply.  Most of all remember that this is a volunteer forum.  People don't do this for their health.  (Sometimes despite it).  At the very least they want to feel like they contributed or helped someone, that their contribution was valued.  That's not likely to happen if they feel like you are either way past their knowledge level or not likely to appreciate / be receptive to a response.

6.  If all else fails, respond to your own post with "BTT" or "Back to top."  Often time that jogs a response loose.

7.  Don't make your post too long, like this one.  No one will bother to read it.

Don't leave.  SOME people in here value the diversity and experience of ALL members.  (Even if they occasionally send nasty emails when they come home drunk at 3:30am on a Friday).

People ignore me, too.  Until I lock their threads.  Then they talk to me.  Boy, do they ever!  [;)]

It takes a while to learn all the board code and such.  I spend lots of time on the Board, help if I can, and just plain LOVE the place.  In a year I have a huge post count, which, frankly, I find embarrassing.  I wonder if I'm perceived as the kid in school that NEVER SHUTS UP, even though no one is listening.  For sure, I try to get along, be nice, help when I can, not give bad info when I don't know something, and add to the comraderie.  The only complaint I have is:  no one told me there was an "in" crowd.  I definitely wasn't one of the "cool kids" 20+ years ago in school, so I guess it only follows I wouldn't be one here.  Oh well. [:D] I have definitely noticed the tendency here to receive what you give.  I try to get along, be helpful, etc. and my replies from others have been overwhelmingly positive.  The best advice I've seen given is to spend a little time getting a feel for the Board, as a newbie.  I'm embarrassed to say, when new myself, one of the first things I did was to jump on Imbroglio for one of his tongue-in-cheek comments.  He handled it with aplomb and responded kindly, to his credit.  I later learned his posting style, and he is one of my favorites.  Oh, I pay absolutely no attention to post counts, [b]except[/b] when the poster appears to be a troll.  A veteran can say things that everyone "gets" but would cause a newbie to be savaged.  That said, don't you all think William Jefferson Blythe Clinton was the greatest president of all time?  [}:D]

I have multiple violations to report!  Please send me the required forms!  ;)

Tatjana,
I have not posted directly to you before, having only recently become aware of your presence.  I am sort of the Board suck-up to the wimmins, so I wanted to welcome you.  In real life I spend considerable time introducing women to the shooting sports, and value your presence.  My wife was mildly anti-gun when I met her, but now she hunts and is an avid shooter.  For the record, I am harmless, so please don't report me!  Welcome, and I hope you enjoy the Board.  [:)]

I've generally been impressed with the quality of responses on technical issues here. I think it makes a difference where you post. One advantage to posting on the handguns & AK side is the post doesn't disappear like a rock in a pond, which will happen on the general firearms section. I have gotten responses from people who obviously know what they are talking about-but it might take a day or two. General Firearms may not be the best place to post a techinical question-the question has to be close enough to the front page long enough that one of the guys that fixes or repairs guns is going to get a chance to see it. If it's that big a deal btt it back or even change the caption to HELP ME...

Where else can you post and get people who know everything about Romanian Sniper rifles, have taught military markmanship classes for decades, breed whatever dog breed you are interested in, build rifles for commercial sale, have worked as auto mechanics for years, know how to set and fire a 105 mm Howitzer etc. etc. (these are just ones that I remember specifically off the top of my head).

I have been warned away from guns I was interested in because of what knowledgeable people here have told me and have bought at least one gun that someone here helped me find.

You are not going to get a response on a techinical gun repair issue as quickly as you will get responses to "my daggum wife left me" posts, if you are looking for valuable FREE advice have some patience,